"I know they said that it could happen, but nobody expected something that has never happened before, to happen. Every single one of us should have planned ahead."

The ticket shortage has triggered a scramble for them by some, scalping by others and concern over what the appropriate size of the event should be.

Ticket sales were not allowed to grow this year because of a permitting issue with the federal Bureau of Land Management, which manages the Black Rock Desert playa where the annual festival takes place.

With its old permit lapsing, event organizer Black Rock City LLC was given a one-year permit to continue operating while a new agreement undergoes environmental study. Instead of receiving its usual 6 percent growth allotment, the organization was required to remain at its 2010 population – approximately 50,000 people.

Under the previous agreement, Black Rock paid the BLM's administrative and operational costs associated with staffing the event, along with 3 percent of the event's adjusted gross revenue. That came to $1.2 million in 2010.

BLM officials say they have a good working relationship with Black Rock and that the event does a remarkable job cleaning up after itself. Burning Man revenue helps support interpretative and beautification projects within the larger national conservation area, officials said.

The application under review would run from 2012 to 2016. It would allow 55,000 people to attend the festival in 2012, with the population growing to 70,000 in 2016.